Floor-rack support



June 1924.

K. F. NYsTR'o FLOOR RACK SUPPORT Filed Dec .Llll Illlll Patented .am a, ieee. j

STATES KAaLr. NYSTRM, or cHIcAGo, ILLINoIs.

FLOOR-RACK SUPPORT.

Application led December 7, 1922. Serial No. 605,528.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, KARL F. Nrs'rnivr, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook ,5 and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful` Improvements in Floor- R-ack Supports, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing; which forms a part of my specification.

My invention relates to a support for the floor racks of a refrigerator car, namely a support whereby the floor racks or superposed floor ysections of a refrigerator car may be Supported or held in raised position and substantially parallel with the side walls of the car, while the'car is being cleaned or at times when the car is not employed for refrigerating purposes and is intended to carry non-perishable merchandise requiring no refrigeration. Y

The invention also has for its object the provision of supporting means whereby a smooth side wall surface is provided when the racks are disposed parallel with the floor and the car is in use as a refrigerator car; namely a" construction which eliminates the use of any projecting surfaces onfthe side walls of the car which would interfere with or apt to injure the lading. A

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator car, with one section or rack in lowered or normal position, while the other section or rack is heldin raised position by my improved supporting means. Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of a -portion of the main wall and floor of a refrigerator car and a portion of a rack, with Vmy improved support shown in elevation and in rack-supporting position= v Figure Bis across sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking downwardly and also disclosing in t' dotted lines the position of the support when in non-'supporting position. i

Figure 4 is a detail view in elevation of a method of hinging the rack sections.

My inventionV is especially intended for refrigerator cars of the usual construction of properly insulated side walls 10V and Hoor 5 11'. The floor is provided with a superposed rack as at 1,2; whchis usually made in a number-of sections arranged lengthwise of the car and Von each side of the longitudinal. center line of the car in order that the various sections may be readily handled and also independently raised and lowered out of i and into operative position kwhen desired.

The racks, of which any desired number commensurate with the size and length of the car may be employed, usually comprise a suitable numberof stringers or spacing` members 13 on which the superposed runners or planks 14 are secured in spaced relation to permit circulation of. the air currents beneath theracks and the lading or merchandise in the car and loadcdon the racks to enable thoroughy refrigerating or cooling of the merchandise.

In Order that the car maybe cleaned, it is essential that the floor racks throughout the various portions of the car .be removable from the floor and theV same are therefore pivotally or hingedly supported to swing upwardly into parallel relation with the side walls of the car, For that reason each floor 'rack or section is provided with a suitable 15 and 16 are of such length as to permit the same to be disposed beneaththc runners or planks of the floor racksvwheirtlie latter are resting on the main floor ofthe car, while at the same time permitting the racks to be swung upwardly and parallel with the side walls of the car, with the ends of the planks 1 4 disposed intermediate of the bracket members 15 and the sidewalls of the car as shown in Figure 2. Y

VThe two stringermembers 13, at the hinged ends of theracks, namely the ends of the racks adjacent to the side walls and'preferablyV at a'point intermediate ofthe ends of the racks, are apertured to 'receiye the'bent ends or trunnion portions 18, 18 of a supporting member 19. The supporting memloer 19 which may be a single piece casting is shown as preferably consisting of metallic rod bent into the angular formation more clearly shown in Figure 2 and comprising the legs 2O and 21 whose ends constitute the trunnions 18; the leg 2O extending substantially parallel with the stringere or spacing members 13 and of suitable length; while the leg 21 is given an inclination so as to extend from the spacing member 13 to which it is pivotally connected .into the plane ot leg S20, at which point both leg portionO 2O and 2l are shown bent substantially at right angles to leg 20 to provide a toot portion 22, of a length corresponding with the dist-ance between leg 20 and the main floor oit' lthe car.

The support is trunnioned on adjacent stringere 13, preferably in such manner that .it will hang or extend substantially parallel with the Ylower surface of the rack when the latter is lowered and at the. same time will cause they support to automatically swing outwardly, through the action of gravity7 to a supporting position or angle relative to the rack when the latter is raised into paral- .lel relation with the side walls of the ear, with the toot portion 22 of the support resting on the main lioor of the oar.

In order that the support may not interfere with the rack resting properly on the floor, the Stringer or spaoingmember 13 in which the le@- or side 20 oit the support 19 is trunnioned., is notched or grooved as shown in ldotted lines at 23 in Figure at a point adapted to receive lthe toot 22 of the support 19 when the latter has been swung or folded substantially parallel with the floor rack, namely into non-supporting position; and in order to prevent the support 19 swinging outwardly too far, one of the stringere or spacing members 13 is shown provided with a stop I in or bolt y24 arranged in the Vmember 13 on t `e side ot the trunnion 18 opposite to that on which the notch or groove 23 is located.

Vith my improved support, when the floor racks are lifted into inoperative position, the support may be `easily swung out-w ward, thus permitting cleaning of the car or its use for other lading; the supporting elements being ot such nature and construction as not to injure the lading or to interfere. with the car insulation; while at the same time the tloorsraclrs may quickly and easily be dropped into operative position by simply .shifting the support 19y into the folded po` sition showin at the left in Figure l and .in dotted lines in'Figure 3.. f

l have shown and described what l believe is the simplest embodiment of my invention wherein the support is formed by bending a suitable metallic rod, but it is a`p-v parent that the support might be a single piece casting so formed and pivotally secured toA the stringere as to swing outwardly to a limited extent as prewiausly described;

the invention having been described in terms employed merely as terms ol description and not as terms ott limitation` as the aforementioned structural moditications others may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

that l claim is l. In a .refrigerator car. the combination of floor racks hingedly scoured to the car floor adjacent to .the side wall so as to swing upwardly into inoperative position, with supporting means oscillata'bly mounted on the lower surtace of the racks so as to eX- tend lengthwise ol' the racks when the latter are in operative position and to swing outwardly from the racks when the latter are raised.

2. In a floor rack support, the combination of the spacing members or stringers of the rack, and a skeleton 'supporting member or `bracket journalled in the spacing member-s so as to swing outwardly at an angle to the floor rack when the latter is raised and to told substantially parallel with and beneath the floor rack when the latter is lowered.

ln a floor rack support, the oom-bination of the spacing members or stringers of the race, and a supporting member consi-sting ot a single metallic rod, the ends whereof are bent in opposite directions and disposed in aligned sockets ol two adjacent spacingmem-bers or stringere, while the inter ziediate portion of the rod is bent so as to provide a toot `portion disposed transverse-ly of the adjacent spacing member.

4. In a refrigerator car, floor racks pivotally secured so as to swingr upwardly substantially parallel with the sides ot the oar, and a supporting member pivotally mounted on the lower side ot each rack so as to normally told substantially parallel with vthe floor racks and to swing loutwardly at right angles to the floor racks when the latter are raised, and means for limiting the degree of swinging move-ment of the supporting member.

Ina refrigerator car, floor racks provided with strin gers or spacing members arrange-d in spaced relation intermediate of the sides and the longitudinal center line of the car, the ends of the racks adjacent to the car side walls being pivotally secured in place to permit the racks to be 'swt` of zupwardly against the oar side walls7 `the adjacent spacing members at the pivoted ends of the racks being provided with aligned apertures. a supporting :member or 'rod havinglaterally disposed ends jon-rna'led 'in said apertures, while the intermediate portion of the rod is formed to provide a depending ,toot or car-floor engaging portion.

6. in a door 'rackr support, the combination of the spacingy members or vstringere@'fa rack, ith asiip'portiaig kiiiemb'er consisting of a metallic member having pivot providing and.

alignment with each other and disposed in opposite directions to provide pivot-forming portions or trunnions adapted to enter sockets in adjacent stringere of the loor rack, While the intermediate portion of the rod is bent double and disposed substantially parallel with the ends of the rod to provide a ioor engaging portion. n

KARL F. NYSTROM. Witnesses:

G. HEIDMAN, F. A. FmRELL. 

